The three cent per litre cut recently announced by Glanbia has been described as savage and disproportionate by the Chairman of Waterford ICMSA.
Tom Ahearne claimed that the latest cut by the plc had sliced another €6,000 from the annual income of an average 50,000 gallon supplier “at a stroke”.
“The fury and bitter disappointment felt by the Waterford farmers would only be increased as they learned that Glanbia planned to introduce cuts in the price it charged retailers for supplies of Avonmore milk by between six and 10 per cent,” he said.
“Everyone else’s margins stay the same or get better – except the farmers, who provide the product for the whole system.”
He continued: “We lose thousands! It’s simply outrageous and will drive many Waterford farmers to distraction as they wonder how they are meant to continue to work as intensively as they do so that everyone else’s incomes are preserved while our own is just cut and cut again.
“We also have the incredible contrast between members of unions complaining about inadequate salary increases under national agreements while farmers are not alone getting any increase but are several thousands cut off their incomes in the blink of an eye.”
Added Tom Ahearne: “The suggestion that farmers can make up the fall in their income by supplying more milk at lower prices is exactly the kind of nonsensical logic that has got us into this predicament in the first place.”
Mr Ahearne said that the suggestion that farmers can make up the fall in their income by supplying more milk at lower prices is “the kind of nonsensical logic that has got us into this predicament in the first place”.
“The very least that the Board and Management of Glanbia can now do is to join us in calling for Minister Smith and his team to stop standing by and implement both strands of this market stabilisation immediately”, he declared.
